Kyrie Irving’s long-awaited return, a four-overtime battle and a little forward-thinking hope for the Philadelphia 76ers highlighted the third week of NBA action in December.
This piece examines games played between Dec. 14 and Dec. 20, offers some observations from the week and how those impact the season.
Bad week for the Celtics
The Celtics are dangerous because they’re talented enough to play a tight game against any opponent. Boston is also frustrating because it keeps coming up short in those contests.
Brad Stevens’ team battled three Eastern Conference foes with winning records but dropped each one. The Cleveland Cavaliers used an 8-0 fourth-quarter run to secure the victory. The Detroit Pistons beat the Celtics by three. The Atlanta Hawks pulled away in the final minutes.
Nevertheless, while the Celtics missed a few chances to record a quality win, a favorable upcoming schedule should get them back on track.
Dwight Howard is unhappy? Well, duh
A report emerged that Dwight Howard was “extremely unhappy” in Houston, and a slew of NBA followers panicked. Is Howard really upset? Will the Rockets trade him? What’s the deal with airline food?
Paging common sense. Of course the center isn’t thrilled with his current situation. One season after a Western Conference Finals appearance, Houston looks no better than average. Why wouldn’t Howard be unhappy?
Plus, the suggestion that he’s tired of playing second fiddle to James Harden is ridiculous. The 30-year-old is neither a dominant scorer nor an elite defender. Howard may have plenty of self-confidence, but he’s not blind.
If the Rockets start winning, Howard might suddenly be happy. Shocking, right?
Not-so-quietly, the Bulls have issues
Chicago is expected to finish near the top of the Eastern Conference, but the franchise has an emerging obstacle: itself. Jimmy Butler politely called out first-year head coach Fred Hoiberg this week.
Following a draining quadruple-overtime loss to the Pistons, the Bulls lacked discipline during a 16-point loss to the New York Knicks. According to ESPN’s Nick Friedell, Butler said Hoiberg needs to be more vocal:
“I’m sorry, I know Fred’s a laid-back guy, and I really respect him for that, but when guys aren’t doing what they’re supposed to do, you got to get on guys, myself included.”
Hoiberg doesn’t display emotion like ex-Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. When the star player is calling out the coach after only 25 games, though, there are internal matters that must be addressed.
Odds are Chicago figures it out, but the resolution will take a while.
Perfect timing for Kyrie Irving’s return
Kyrie Irving was reportedly set to debut against the Oklahoma City Thunder, but his return encountered a one-game delay. Perhaps the organization thought better of having the point guard shake off the rust opposite Russell Westbrook.
After all, why waste a chance to ease Irving back when the Philadelphia 76ers were next on the schedule?
Irving logged 17 minutes of action during Cleveland’s 108-86 blowout, tallying 12 points, four assists and two steals. He connected on both three-point attempts and flashed signs of his trademark explosiveness in a low-pressure setting.
Cavaliers coach David Blatt will likely continue limiting Irving’s minutes throughout the next few weeks, but the 23-year-old has taken the critical first step toward a full workload.
“The Process” might reach Phase 2
Speaking of those dastardly 76ers, tanking be gone!
At the encouragement of NBA commissioner Adam Silver, Philadelphia hired Jerry Colangelo as the chairman of basketball operations, and he tabbed Mike D’Antoni as the associate head coach.
D’Antoni brings 40-plus years of professional basketball experience to a franchise that truly has a decent future. He’ll help Brett Brown and his current staff develop a collection of young talent. The 76ers might actually win a couple games before the 2015-16 season ends.
Now, let’s not pretend his primary task isn’t reporting to Colangelo, who is advising the team from Phoenix, Arizona. Nevertheless, D’Antoni’s experience is invaluable to a roster with a single player older than 25.
Clippers still searching for significant win
Although the Clippers boast a 16-12 record and fourth-place standing in the Western Conference, they’re simply beating up on inferior teams while regularly losing to top-tier competition.
Los Angeles isn’t alone in this regard, but this is a real problem. Winning teams the Clippers have beaten include the Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, Orlando Magic and the Pistons twice.
Conversely, Lob City has fallen to the Golden State Warriors and Rockets twice as well as the San Antonio Spurs, Indiana Pacers, Toronto Raptors and Bulls. You can’t be the best if you can’t beat the best.
Is this an overreaction? Consider that Los Angeles coughed up a 3-1 advantage in the conference semifinals last year. If the Clippers can’t topple premier teams during the regular season, how can they be expected to win a seven-game series in the playoffs?
The talent is there, but the execution — so far — is not.
Golden State vs. Milwaukee: The rivalry we didn’t expect
Quite frankly, it’s a shame the Warriors and Milwaukee Bucks only play once or twice per season, because there’s a rivalry brewing.
Klay Thompson felt the Bucks could have shown more class when ending Golden State’s winning streak. Michael Carter-Williams didn’t appreciate Draymond Green publicly calling him out.
Really, the storylines are too good to be true. The Warriors repeatedly celebrate three-pointers before the ball drops through the net, and Green called out MCW. Excessive celebrations should be a bigger part of the game, but let’s not pretend either of those are classy.
And the Bucks? Go ahead and celebrate a big win, but maybe don’t brag about beating Golden State when you lost to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Can we change the schedule and make these teams play every week? Get on that, NBA.